TEACCH began at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1972 under the direction of
the late psychologist, Dr. Eric Schopler. TEACCH now includes seven centers in North Carolina that provide
diagnostic evaluations, parent training, and social and support groups. TEACCH also operates model early
intervention and supported employment programs and a residential/vocational program, as well as providing
individual consultations and professional training workshops nationally and internationally.
TEACCH developed the concept of the “Culture of Autism” to convey the idea that like cultures, autism spectrum
disorders yield characteristic patterns of learning, thinking, communicating, and behaving. TEACCH proposes that
teachers, parents, and therapists can function as “cross-cultural interpreters” who use specialized strategies
to work back and forth between the expectations of the neuro-typical world and the ways individuals with autism
understand and communicate.
Features of the Culture of Autism include:
- Relative strength in and preference for processing visual information (compared to difficulties with
auditory processing of language)
- Heightened attention to details but difficulty with sequencing, connecting, or deriving meaning from them
- Enormous variability in attention (Individuals can be very distractible at times but at other times
are intensely focused, with difficulties shifting attention efficiently.)
- Communication problems which vary by developmental level, but always include impairments in the social
use of language, called pragmatics
- Difficulty with concepts of time including completing activities too quickly or too slowly and having
problems recognizing the beginning or end of an activity, how long the activity will last, and when it
will be finished
- Tendency to become attached to routines and the settings where they are established, so that activities
may be difficult to transfer or generalize from the original learning situation, and disruptions in routines
can be uncomfortable, confusing, or upsetting
- Very intense interests and impulses to engage in favored activities and difficulties disengaging once engaged
- Marked sensory preferences and aversions
The overall TEACCH approach is called “Structured TEACCHing.” The fundamental principles of Structured TEACCHing are:
- Individualize interventions based on the person’s specific pattern of learning, strengths, difficulties and
special interests.
- Use visual or written supports to supplement auditory language-based information.
- Make the sequence of events predictable and understandable using visual means, such as a schedule of upcoming
activities. Depending on the individual’s developmental level, this may take the form of objects, picture,
or written words.
- Organize the physical environment and visually highlight important features of both the surroundings (such as
where to sit, stand, walk, etc.) and activities (such as where to focus attention or put materials).
- Work specifically on flexibility and generalization by changing the sequence of activities and introducing n
ew elements (e.g., location, materials, staff or peers, etc.).
- Stimulate and support meaningful, self-initiated communication (in contrast to prompted speech or rote memory).
- Collaborate with families, which includes teaching parents Structured TEACCHing strategies as well as
incorporating parents’ concerns, needs, and wisdom into interventions.
Structured TEACCHing suggests that for teaching new skills or to minimize behavioral difficulties in situations,
visual answers should be provided for the following questions:
- Where am I supposed to be?
- What am I supposed to do?
- How much will I do? Or how long will I do this?
- How can I see that I am making progress and how can I see that I have finished?
- What will I do next?
For young and beginning learners, typical techniques for answering ‘where’ include defining learning spaces through
furniture placement and blocking out sources of distraction. For older and more abstract thinking individuals,
it is often useful to provide visual guidance (or options) about where to sit, where to put possessions, and how
to get from place to place in the school or work setting. Techniques for showing ‘what’ involve visual or written
directions (often accompanied with brief verbal directions) about the steps in an activity and the sequence of
activities to be completed. Possible techniques for showing ‘how much’ or ‘how long’ include 1) having materials
organized into containers that become emptier as the activity moves toward completion; 2) having a list of activities
that are checked off or removed as they are completed; 3) using a visual timer that provides information about the passage
of time and arrival of the end of the activity. Consistent with these techniques, ‘finished’ is shown by empty
containers of materials, a completed checklist, or a visual and/or auditory cue from a timer or clock. When activities
are completed, there is typically a visual cue for guiding the individual to look back to the schedule to find the next activity.
Structured TEACCHing is appropriate for individuals with ASD at all ages and functioning levels, because the general
principles are applied flexibly for each individual. That is, visual answers to these questions for a young or developmentally
delayed child would look very different from those for a high school student or adult with average intelligence, but
the general principles of using visual or written supports to organize time and space would still apply.
Structured TEACCHing can help individuals with ASD learn new skills or participate appropriately in any setting,
including but not limited to
- Schools and child care centers (from preschool to graduate school, from special education settings to typical classes)
- Home (for example, learning to participate in chores, mealtimes, leisure time, homework)
- Community activities and errands (for example, standing in a checkout line, ordering and eating a meal in a restaurant, getting a haircut)
- Medical, dental, and therapy appointments (for example, cooperating with the steps involved in examination or treatment,
completing the sequence of activities in speech/language or occupational therapy sessions)
- Work sites (whether volunteer work or supported or competitive employment)
Evidence-Based research on TEACCH:
Comparative efficacy of LEAP, TEACCH and non-model-specific special education programs for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of autism and developmental disorders.1 This study compares three programs for children with ASD under age five. The first approach, TEACCH, is based on the “culture of autism” and cognitive-social learning theory. TEACCH involves changes to the environment such as visual schedules, work areas, and organizational systems to promote learning. The second approach, LEAP (Learning Experiences and Alternative Program for Preschoolers and their Parents) is based on a combination of applied behavior analysis (ABA) and common aspects of early childhood education, with a goal of reducing symptoms of autism that interfere with learning. One important difference is that TEACCH often educates children with ASD in a separate classroom away from typically developing peers, while LEAP uses an inclusive educational approach. These two approaches were compared with the third approach of non-specific special education. According to the researchers, the third approach “did not use practices aligned with any particular theoretical or conceptual model.”
The study took place in public schools in four U.S. states. One hundred ninety eight children between age three and five years were randomized to one of the three programs. Communication skills, sensory and repetitive behaviors, social interaction and fine motor skills were measured at baseline and at the end of a year. All three programs were found to produce statistically improvements in child outcomes, but no important differences in outcomes by program.- The TEACCH Program in the Era of Evidence-Based Practice
- Special Education Versus Inclusive Education: The Role of the TEACCH Program
- Brief Report: Outcomes of a Teacher Training Program for Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Brief Report: Application of the TEACCH Program on Chinese Pre-School Children with Autism––Does Culture Make a Difference?
- Psychoeducational treatment of children with autism and reactive attachment disorder
General Guides:
1 Boyd BA, Hume K, McBee MT, et al. Comparative efficacy of LEAP, TEACCH and non-model-specific special education programs for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. Feb 2014;44(2):366-380.